Our History

Here are some highlights and major accomplishments from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's history:

1992

• BCM is born at the Maine Bike Rally in Newport.
• Charley LaFlamme is elected the founding president.
• BCM provides input on Maine's Sensible Transportation Policy Act.
• Rally on the steps of the Statehouse draws about 60 bicyclists.
• BCM works with Maine's newly appointed bicycle/pedestrian coordinator.

1993

• BCM helps ensure bicyclists' access to the South Portland Bridge.
• BCM launches "SpotME" cards to report road hazards to Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT).
• BCM organizes the first Bike to Work Day in the state.
• First BCM newsletter is published.
• BCM becomes a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• BCM helps to reverse an increase in ferry rates for bicyclists.

1994

• BCM initiates bicycle safety education in schools and develops curriculum materials.
• BCM introduces League of American Bicyclists' Bike Ed programs for adults in Maine.
• BCM supports formation of the Mount Desert Island Bicycle Association.
• Harry Faust of Vassalboro is elected the second president.
• BCM advocates for mountain bike access and bike commuting.

1995

• Education programs are further developed.
• BCM assists with planning of international ProBike/ProWalk conference to be held in Portland.
• BCM begins giving safety presentations at charity rides.

1996

• Membership grows to approximately 200.
• BCM organizes first Bicycle Safety Instructor Training course.
• First staff person, Jeffrey Miller, is hired as full-time executive director.
• BCM starts regular publication of Maine Cyclist newsletter.
• BCM co-hosts international ProBike/ProWalk conference in Portland.

1997

• Membership reaches approximately 400.
• BCM provides bicycle safety instruction for Drivers' Ed instructors.
• BCM works to have five pages on sharing the road with bicycles included in the new Maine Motorist Handbook.
• First "Share the Trail" signs are posted at 60 trailheads across the state.
• BCM co-hosts the Bikes & Boots = Buck$ Conference to educate officials about how to improve bicycling and walking in Maine for community and economic enhancement.
• E-mail updates begin.
• BCM becomes an active organizer of the Maine Bike Rally.
• BCM forms an advisory board with such prestigious leaders as Senator Jill Goldthwait, First Lady Mary Herman and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Ned Sullivan.

1998

• Membership reaches nearly 700 households.
• BCM works to include a bicycle safety question on the new Maine Driver's Exam.
• BCM hosts the International Mountain Biking Association's Trail Care Crew as they present classes on trail etiquette and maintenance.
• BCM launches the BCM's Web site at www.BikeMaine.org.
• Bill Heath of Kennebunk is elected the third president.
• BCM provides valet bike parking at the Common Ground Fair for the first time.

1999

• Membership grows to 850 households.
• BCM gives significant input about the Maine Department of Transportation's rewriting of Maine's shoulder-paving policy.
• BCM contributes to MaineDOT's "Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Guide" to help build more bicycle-friendly communities.
• BCM helps develop and advocate for the new Bicycle Safety Education Act. The measure wins approval in the Maine Legislature.
• BCM initiates popular volunteer nights.
• BCM helps to establish the Belfast Bicycle Coalition through the Belfast Model Bicycle Community Program.

2000

• Memberships surpass 1,000 households.
• BCM moves its office from Bar Harbor to Augusta and hires a second staff person, Deborah Ladner, as Health Education Coordinator.
• BCM contracts with MaineDOT for the Bicycle Safety Education Program and teaches more than 10,000 schoolchildren in more than 100 schools.
• BCM teaches classes to MaineDOT Division Road Crews on "low and no-cost improvements" on roadways to benefit cyclists.
• BCM produces four "Share the Road" Public Service Announcements for television stations statewide.
• BCM hosts the Maine Bike Conference for planners, engineers, municipal officers and bicyclists.
• First BikeMaine Event Calendar is produced.
• BCM helps to preserve mountain bicycle access on Mount Agamenticus.
• David Auclair of Augusta is elected president.

2001

• BCM membership includes nearly 1,200 households.
• BCM's Bicycle Safety Education Program teaches another 15,000 schoolchildren statewide
• BCM teaches four Bicycle Safety for Teachers Training workshops.
• BCM successfully fights a bill that would have forced bicyclists to yield right-of-way to motor vehicles and maintain 10 feet from the center line.
• BCM supports an act to modernize bicycle safety in Maine's statutes, which clarifies that motorists cannot cut off bicyclists when making a right turn.
• BCM suggests further improvements to Maine's shoulder-paving policy.
• BCM works to restrict rumble strips on Maine's highways.
• BCM secures roll-on service for bicyclists using the Downeaster train.
• Dana Cary of Topsham is elected president.

2002

• More than 1,700 memberships equals more than 5,000 bicyclists in our ranks!
• BCM continues the Bicycle Safety Education Program in schools with another 13,000 school kids being taught statewide.
• BCM teaches 11 Bicycle Safety for Teachers Training workshops.
• BCM develops and teaches five Bicycle Safety and the Law classes for police statewide.
• BCM begins numerous new events including the Maine Lobster Ride & Roll, the Women's Ride for Heart Health and the Fat Tire Fall Foliage Frolic.
• The League of American Bicyclists gives BCM the Bicycle Education Leadership Award at their first National Education Leadership Conference.

2003

• BCM helps secure nearly $7 million for biking and walking projects through passage of the State Transportation Bond and federal funding.
• Valet bike parking is expanded to include the National Folk Festival in Bangor.
• BCM sponsors 17 bicycle safety classes for teachers and police trainings.
• Total number of Maine children taught bicycle safety by BCM tops 50,000.
• BCM receives the Tri-State Transportation Safety Conference's Maine Education Award.
• BCM produces and distributes 35,000 copies of the BikeMaine Event Calendar.
• BCM co-sponsors BikeTown USA in Portland.
• Carol Hammond is hired as BCM's part-time Communications Coordinator and serves for one year.
• Sue Ellen Bordwell of Yarmouth is elected president.

2004

• Safe Routes to School program expands from four to 17 schools across Maine. Tobin Scipione is hired half-time as the coordinator.
• After School Bike Clubs are held in seven schools and camps.
• BCM receives one of four national Share the Road grants to research outreach methods.
• BCM produces and distributes new Share the Road bumper stickers.
• BCM works with Maine's congressional delegation to promote adequate funding for biking and walking projects through the federal transportation bill.

2005

• Safe Routes to School program grows from 17 to 37 schools.
• Bicycle Safety Education Program reaches students in 84 Maine schools. Since 2000, nearly 70,000 children have participated.
• BCM continues advocacy work with Maine's congressional delegation for biking and walking projects in the federal transportation bill.
• BCM develops and advocates for a $10 million "Trails for a Healthy Maine" bond that fails in the legislature.
• BCM assists with the Bikes for the Bayou project to help survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
• Pete Phair joins the BCM staff to coordinate young adult bike safety education and the Share the Road campaign and remains on staff through 2007.
• Jane Salf of Camden is elected president.

2006

• League of American Bicyclists honors BCM as a model statewide organization by having our delegation lead the closing plenary session of the National Bike Summit.
• BCM testifies at Plum Creek development hearing on behalf of bicycling in the Moosehead Lake Region.
• BCM's Share the Road campaign includes 115 TV spots, 236 radio spots, 10 newspaper ads and 500,000 web ads. A follow-up survey gauges the campaign's impact.
• Maine leads the New England states in the number of schools participating in International Walk and Bike to School Month. More than 60 Maine schools hold events during October.
• Jeff Miller celebrates his 10th anniversary as BCM's executive director.

2007

• BCM leads the effort to win passage of L.D. 1808, a major revision of Maine bicycling laws. The Maine Legislature approves the bill and Gov. John Baldacci signs it. A key provision requires motorists to give three feet of clearance when passing bicycles.
• BCM plays a key role in the Trails for a Healthy Maine Coalition working for passage of a $10 million trails bond. Despite strong support from trail advocates, bond funding for trails is limited to $1.25 million.
• Professional hockey player Eric Weinrich becomes BCM's first official celebrity spokesperson.
• BCM receives $30,000 in state grants for a new Share the Road campaign with television and radio ads featuring Eric Weinrich.
• The Great Maine Bike Swap is reorganized at the University of Southern Maine and draws more than 1,500 participants.
• More than 80,000 Maine children now have participated in BCM's Bicycle Safety Education Program.
• 107 schools throughout Maine participate in the Safe Routes to School program and 93 hold events during International Walk and Bike to School Month.
• BCM's Web site, www.BikeMaine.org, hits a new record with more than 10 million hits in one year!
• Shoshana Hoose is hired as BCM's half-time Communications Coordinator.
• The Thunderhead Alliance Benchmarking Report ranks BCM as the country's top state bicycle advocacy organization.
• John Balicki of Brunswick is elected president.

2008

• Allison Vogt is chosen as BCM’s second executive director after a national search.
• The League of American Bicyclists ranks Maine as the sixth best state for bicycling. BCM’s advocacy work is cited extensively in news reports about the ranking.
• The Bureau of Highway Safety awards BCM a $10,000 grant for a Share the Road media campaign.
• The League of American Bicyclists chooses the Maine Bike Rally as its National Rally. An estimated 650 people attend from all over the country, making it by far the largest rally ever.
• The Maine Lobster Ride & Roll sets a record for participation, with 777 riders. The Women’s Ride for Heart Health also breaks attendance records, drawing nearly 400 bicyclists.
• The Great Maine Bike Swap expands to the University of Maine at Orono.
• BCM joins 19 other nonprofit groups in sponsoring a Congressional Candidates Forum on Sustainability at the University of Southern Maine. The forum airs on community television stations in 56 Maine towns and cities during the month before the November election.
• BCM is featured in more than 100 stories that appear on television, radio, in publications and on the internet.